English Bar as a Venue to Boost Students’ Speaking Self-Efficacy at the Tertiary Level

Mingxu Liu

Abstract

Research in EFL and ESL has confirmed that self-efficacy affects language learners’ choices of learning tasks, persistence, motivation and achievement. As a cognitive construct, self-efficacy can be strengthened by both outcomes of behaviors and input from the environment. This paper studies the effects of an English Bar, a self-access center for students to practice oral English, on Chinese college students’ self-efficacy enhancement. The study’s questionnaire and in-depth interviews reveal that students who often go to the Bar to speak in English demonstrate considerably higher levels of self-efficacy than their peers who seldom or never visit the Bar. Finally, the implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

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